Helen Edwards

For the Fermilab physicist, see Helen T. Edwards.

Helen Edwards CB CBE (born 2 August 1953) is a British civil servant, currently serving as the Director-General for Localism in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Having originally trained and worked as a social worker for East Sussex County Council, Edwards worked for the Save the Children Fund in the London Borough of Lambeth from 1980-83.[1] She then spent 18 years working at Nacro, the national crime reduction charity, where she undertook a variety of roles, ending up as Chief Executive.[2]

Edwards joined the Home Office in 2002 as Director of the Active Communities Directorate. From January 2004, she was promoted to the post of Director-General of the Communities Group where she was responsible for the Home Office's work on volunteering, the voluntary and community sector, race equality, faith, community cohesion and civil renewal. She took over as Chief Executive of National Offender Management Service (NOMS) on 10 November 2005, following the resignation of Martin Narey. During this period, NOMS transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Justice, as part of a government reorganisation. On 1 April 2008, she became Director-General, Criminal Justice, with Phil Wheatley taking on the role of Director-General of NOMS.[3]

Edwards has a BA in social science from the University of Sussex and an MA and CQSW from the University of Warwick,[2] and an Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University. She has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts since 1997, and a Trustee of the Washington-based Eisenhower Foundation since 2000. She married David John Rounds in 1987, with whom she has three sons.[1]

Edwards was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours and Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2012 Birthday Honours.[4][5]

Preceded by
unknown
Director-General, Communities Group
Home Office

2004-2005
Succeeded by
unknown
Preceded by
Martin Narey
Chief Executive
National Offender Management Service

2005-2008
Succeeded by
Phil Wheatley
As Director-General,
National Offender Management Service
Preceded by
unknown
Director-General, Criminal Justice
Ministry of Justice

2008-
Succeeded by
Incumbent

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Who's Who 2010: EDWARDS, Helen. Who's Who. A & C Black, Oxford University Press. 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-957215-1. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ministry of Justice. "Helen Edwards biography". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  3. National Offender Management Service (29 January 2008). "Ministry of Justice organisational review - copy of letter to NOMS and HMPS staff". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  4. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60173. p. 2. 16 June 2012.
  5. http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_202133.pdf

External links